Unless you live under a rock, you've seen the 25 Random Things lists. If you're on Facebook, you've been bombarded by it. Even the New York Times has written an article about it. I figured it was about time we did a post on it, Twenty-Five got to be a bit long for one post, so this time around I give to you 10 Random Things about HBU. Maybe another blogger will continue with more! This is an unofficial list, from my perspective only. I'm sure other folks could tell you a lot of other random things!

1. Kiza (our live husky mascot, I'm a bit obsessed with her as you've seen in previous posts) knows who has given her treats in the past and goes looking for their desk when walking on campus.

2. HBU has only had 3 Presidents. We are a relatively young school who has had very dedicated individuals in that position.

3. Our president lives on campus, so he also benefits from the short commute that our on-campus residents have.

4. Our Mock Trial team advanced to super-regionals last weekend, placing seventh out of 23 teams. Their next tournament is in the Opening Round Championship Series in Memphis, TN at Rhodes College.

5. There is a bridge on campus called Friendship Bridge. In the spring, the little pond that it goes over is surrounded by bluebonnets.

6. Our staff has also been known to rescue any turtles who appear to be in distress in this pond...all the stories have happy endings.

7. There is a tradition at HBU that everyone stands in silence to give a "traditional HBU welcome". Unfortunately, sometimes this makes it really obvious who didn't get the memo when they start clapping.

8. We have a lot of opportunities for students to come visit campus...go check them out!

9. Last fall, two new buildings opened on campus, The Lake House Residence College and The University Academic Center. New building are always fun to explore!

10. This is our first full year with an Honors College and the students who are participating have had a lot of cool opportunities. Daniel writes about it quite a bit.

That's it for now! Hope you're having a great week!
~Sarah

Posted by Dawg Tracks - HBU Admission Counselors at 2:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I think the biggest question most Freshmen have when starting college is trying to decide what they are going to major in. The possibilities are endless at this point - doctor, politician, author, or accountant, the choice is yours. This can be a daunting task for an 18 year old to take on.

I was an undecided major for two full years before I ever made a decision. I had no idea what I wanted to do as a career but I did know that I wanted to study something that I thoroughly enjoyed. So maybe you haven't decided exactly what you want to do for the next 30 to 40 years, you can still enjoy what you are learning. Pick something that interests you and explore where it might take you.

HBU's Success and Advising Center has some great resources for exploring majors and careers. You can see all the careers associated with the different majors, as well as answer a few questions to determine what major/career would be best suited for your interestes.

Don't get discouraged because you are still trying to make a decision, most college students change their majors multiple times! Start exploring now - you might be surprised what you find!

- Ashley DuBose Bouwer

Posted by Dawg Tracks - HBU Admission Counselors at 1:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I love anything that involves music, especially musicals!!
I have been searching high and low for the musical "It's Always Fair Weather"

This is a musical with Gene Kelly (grrr) in it!

*Side Note*- He has to be one of the best looking guys of his time!! You probably know him from 'Singing in the Rain'

I can not find it anywhere!! So I have a mission for you all tuning in to dawg tracks! Help me find this DVD!!!! I have tried Amazon, Ebay, Best Buy, and many others!!

NE WAYZ......... I do have some news!!!
On March 11th, HBU will be hosting the Robbie Seay Band & Charlie Hall in concert!!

This is Robbie Seay!!

This is Charlie Hall!!!

The best part is that the concert is free to high school students!! (grades 9-12) All you have to do is go to www.hbu.edu/concert and RSVP!! All other admission is only $5. That is a great deal!!! Also you all get a bonus performance by Refuge!!

For those of you who do not know; Refuge is one of the scholarship music groups that we have here at HBU! They are a full worship band and they are really good!! You should check them out every Tuesday night @ 6:30 pm here at HBU for Quest (a Contemporary Worship Service). Or check them out at www.hbu.edu/focus.

Well I think that is all I have for today!! Please be on the look out for that amazing DVD (or any DVD with Gene Kelly in it)!!

Thanks everyone!!

- Mon'Sher Spencer (Money$)

Posted by Dawg Tracks - HBU Admission Counselors at 3:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hey Everybody!!!

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend. Yesterday was such a beautiful day!!!

So lets see what is going on at HBU this week.

Well this week we are hosting one of our Online Chats. It is on Wednesday, February 25th from 4:30- 8:00 PM (central time). This is a time for you to come and talk to current HBU students as well as meet other future huskies! During this time you can get your questions answered as well as get more insight into what exactly HBU has to offer.

Below is the link to the chat this week:

http://express0.targetx.com/event/php/event_register.php?mid=17006796

If you can't make it to this chat the next chat will be held on March 10, 2009.

Hope you can make it to the chat!!
Page Butera

Posted by HBU Admin at 9:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Happy Friday! I have had the pleasure this week of visiting some of the Fort Bend schools during their lunches. This week I have been to Dulles, Austin, Hightower, Clements, and Kempner!

Take note that we are visiting the other Fort Bend high schools next week:
Monday, 2/23: Willowridge
Tuesday, 2/24: George Bush
Wednesday, 2/25: Elkins
Thursday, 2/26: Thurgood Marshall
Friday, 2/27: Travis

I just want to encourage all of you to take advantage of college visits when we come to your school! This is a great time for you to turn in an application, ask an admissions counselor about your application status or anything that is on your mind. I mean, how much easier can it get???

If you are a Fort Bend School, I look forward to meeting you next week. If you are curious when an HBU counselor is coming to your school, just give us a call: 281.649.3211 - we love to hear from you!

Dawgs Up,
Chelsea Townsend

Posted by Dawg Tracks - HBU Admission Counselors at 1:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Every once in a while you'll have something happen to you or someone you love that will give you a quick wake up call to how quickly everything can come to an end.

Yesterday, my mom got in a car accident. Thankfully, everything is okay. However, it was a pretty bad wreck and she had to go to the hospital. It was a little bit more of a rough day than what I woke up thinking it would be. When I got home that night from the hospital I had to count my blessings. How blessed I am to have been able to attend HBU and now work at HBU. How thankful I am to have a healthy family and good friends. So many thing--such as walking--I have taken for granted. What a blessing that is to JUST be able to walk and talk and praise a God who has provided for me where I needed.

I would say the same to you as well. Count your blessings and don't overlook the small things. Sometimes, the small things make the biggest difference because they are given by a mighty God who has created all things BIG and SMALL.

Jonathan Brink
Admissions Counselor

Posted by Dawg Tracks - HBU Admission Counselors at 9:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hey guys! If you have President's Day off, it's a good opportunity to complete your FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). It's a free application and we use it to determine if you are eligible for financial aid, so fill it out preferably before March 1st. It doesn't take a lot of time and you could be eligible for grants, loans or work study. Grants are the free money so they are the most desireable. Loans-well you have to pay those back but the interest rates and repayment terms are usually better than outside/private loans. Work study involves working on campus and earning minimum wage. We offer all three types and in the Admissions Office we have several student workers and they do everything from answering phones, sending out mail (all those lovely letters you receive), filing and other duties around the office. They are a great group of responsible students and who knows maybe you'll be working with us next year! If you want to see what kind of financial aid we offer here at HBU check out our financial aid website-http://www.hbu.edu/financialaid. You'll also need our FAFSA code 003576.

Go Huskies!
Dianne

Posted by Dawg Tracks - HBU Admission Counselors at 10:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hey guys! I recently started a Facebook group called: "Chelsea Townsend is My HBU Admissions Counselor at HBU! " It is for students that I work with to be able to get a hold of me quickly to ask questions or learn about upcoming HBU events. I would love if you joined my group! My official territory of students that I work with include all Fort Bend Schools and Cy-Creek High School (where I graduated from-go Coogs!).

HBU also has a Facebook group for our new students that will start this Fall called HBU Huskies: Class of 2013.

We hope you find us on there soon! If Facebook isn't your cup of tea, you can always just call us at 281-649-3211 or email your admissions counselor. My email is below.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Chelsea Townsend

Posted by Dawg Tracks - HBU Admission Counselors at 2:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Last Monday night I had the opportunity to sing and play for the Contemporary Christian Cafe. The CCC is an on campus event open to all students, faculty, and staff. It was awesome! I love to sing and play, and will do so any chance I get. I have been singing practically my entire life, and playing guitar for the past eight years. Do I write my own songs? Why yes I do! Writing is most definitely a learning process. I would not dare play any of the first few songs I have written for the sake of your ears. The most important aspect of writing that I have learned over these past few years is to just be yourself. Really. Write about what you know and what is real to you. Listeners appreciate getting a genuine glimpse of who you truly are through your song or poetry.

John Q. Montgomery

Posted by Dawg Tracks - HBU Admission Counselors at 2:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

As a part of the Endowed Academic Scholarship Committee, I spent much of last week with HBU Faculty. I am constantly impressed by the faculty here. It's not just that they are very smart and have a lot of knowledge to pass along, but they are also great teachers. I learn from them even outside of a classroom setting, just by hanging out with them!

There are a few ways that you can find out more about our faculty. Next week, we'll have some faculty members available to call students like you! If you'd like to receive a call, just email me at sbible@hbu.edu and we'll have a faculty member from your area of interest give you a call. You could also come and sit in on a lecture at one of our upcoming Experience HBU events. If you just want to check it out from the comfort of your couch, you can also visit our website.

~Sarah

Posted by Dawg Tracks - HBU Admission Counselors at 7:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Last week was extremely busy with interviews for the Endowed Academic Scholarship. This was my first year serving on the committee and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to meet and interview so many of the candidates. Everyone was extremely bright, intelligent, and friendly - I wish everyone could receive an EAS!!

After the week of interviews, we held a celebratory dinner Friday night to honor all of the outstanding candidates. Everyone had a good time and I think the candidates enjoyed getting to meet each other and being able to speak with the committee members. After the dinner we had a dessert reception and all of the Colleges had representatives who students were able to speak with as well. Several of last year's EAS recipients are also members of the Honors College and it was interesting to hear their experience in the new honors program as well.

Today we will be meeting to start the deliberation process over who will receive the scholarships out of all 55 candidates who were interviewed. Hopefully we will have lots of good news for some of you soon!

*sidenote: The Honors College has extended their deadline, so if you are thinking about applying now is your chance!

- Ashley DuBose Bouwer

Posted by Dawg Tracks - HBU Admission Counselors at 9:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Wow a week has gone by and so much has happened! As Page mentioned we had Preview Saturday and it was a blast. I'm including a picture of myself and two of our ambassadors. Thanks to Page all the women admissions counselors received a blue fleece vest for Christmas and we got "HBU" on them. Chelsea and I then got our ambassadors HBU scarves as gifts so Saturday we all wore our vests and scarves. Everyone loved our gear. Blue and orange are HBU's colors and I've always loved blue but orange took some getting use to but now I like it too! (Note the scarves are orange and blue, I know it looks almost red in the pic)

Thanks to Lauren Barta, another one of our ambassadors, for the pic

So interviews are taking place this week for the EAS scholarship and we're planning a dinner today. It's really great to finally meet some of these students. Some have visited HBU in the past (some came Saturday for Preview) and others are new to campus. They are all excited and nervous since this is a big scholarship. Today will be fun and/or a relief since interviews will be over and everyone will have a chance to meet each other. I'll have to let you know later how it went-I'm really excited about the dessert reception we'll be having afterwards...I love cookies!

GO HUSKIES!

Dianne

Posted by Dawg Tracks - HBU Admission Counselors at 8:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I have found that God reveals himself sometimes in the strangest of places. I love that I was able to attend a University where I was allowed to express my spirituality and faith. Now, I'm privileged to be able to work at that same place where I still have opportunities to share my faith.

You see, I was out at a fair yesterday. I had a few moments to spare, so I started reading my devotional book that I had missed the opportunity to read that morning. It wasn't long until I had a couple students come by before the fair actually started to ask if I needed anything. I told them I didn't need anything (slightly disappointed that they didn't need any info) and let them continue on the task ahead of them. But before they walked away one of the students asked what I was reading. I shared that I was reading a devotional book written by Oswald Chambers.

The student was ecstatic that I was reading a devotional out in the open. They were open about how hard it is for them to be able to share their faith with others particularly in a school setting. We only were able to chat for a few moments but I was able to share with her about how great it is to be able to do that at HBU.

I've taken for granted many times that I'm able to openly express my faith in not only the country I live in, but the school that I went to and work for now. It's a place where people are free to share their faith and beliefs...different or not. I'm so thankful that I'm able to do those things. I haven't thanked God enough for making it a possibility for me.

So spread the word that HBU is a place where you can express yourself and become who it is you truly want to be!

--Jonathan Brink- Admissions Counselor

Posted by Dawg Tracks - HBU Admission Counselors at 12:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hello all!

When I first sat down to blog, a million things popped into my mind to blog about: My trip overseas, FOCUS & Refuge, HBU in general, and etc. So I guess since I can not decide.......I'll blog about them all!!! :) (I promise it won't be too long!!)

Overseas!!
Well I had the privilege to take 7 HBU students to a small Eastern Europe country named Moldova, which is in between Romania & Ukraine! It was a 13 hour plane ride (gag me!); but when we finally got there, the experience was AMAZING!! We went with an organization called CERI (Chilren's Emergency Relief International) and we traveled to the town of Balti (pronounced BE-HEL-TS). We were there for about a week and a half, and we went to about 12 orphanages and one nursing home and delivered winter boots, scarves, hats, and a message from God!! It was heart breaking to see some of the conditions that the kids had to suffer through, but it was so heart warming to see how welcoming they were and appreciative of the gifts we were giving them. The special thing about what we did, is that we actually placed the boots on their feet. Each one individually. What an amazing time!! (I WANT TO GO BACK!!) For the week that we were there, we managed to place boots on over 1500 feet!! GOD IS SO GOOD!!!

This little girl's name is Sasha! I wanted to take her home with me!!

FOCUS & Refuge
I am the new Director of the two fabulous groups, FOCUS & Refuge, and I have to say that they are both pretty amazing!! FOCUS is a singing ministry and they go to different churches and schools to sing and recruit. Refuge is a full worship band and they lead worship every Tuesday night at 6:30 pm for Quest, HBU's Contemporary Worship Service (Plug). The groups have been an amazing blessing in my life and I am so glad to be their director. Check them out at www.hbu.edu/focus.

This is FOCUS!

This is Refuge!

REC Team
Well I also happen to be the Director of a summer ministry group called the REC Team!! This is a group of crazy fun students that spend the entire summer going to different camps ministering through skits, games, testimonies, recruiting, and many other ways!! We have just picked a new team!! YEAH!! I would like to give them some recognition: Keith, Zelma, Ashley, Lisa, Drew, Amber, Nikki, Aaron, Sam Smith, and Sam Williams!! Congrats!! Please stay in prayer for them as they train this semester for the summer ahead!!

REC Team 2008 (I don't have a picture of the new team yet!)

HBU TODAY!!
So a lot is going on at HBU right now, and I am so excited to see how the Lord moves!!! One big thing that is happening is that we are hosting a concert with the Robbie Seay Band, and Charlie Hall! (Amazing!!) If you know a little bit about Contemporary Christian Music, you have probably heard of those two!! The most exciting thing is that if you have a current student ID, you can get into the concert for free!!!!! (I KNOW.......AMAZING!!) If you do not have a current student ID, then you have to pay $5, but that is very cheap!!!! Hope to see you all at the concert!! Wednesday, March 11th @ 7 pm @ HBU!!!!! For more information click the file button!!
Download file

Well I believe that is all I have to say!!!! Until next time..............."Stay Classy HBU!"

~Mon'Sher AKA Money$

Posted by Dawg Tracks - HBU Admission Counselors at 4:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This past weekend was Sneak Peek Saturday! It was an amazing event and we were blessed by BEAUTILFUL weather. There were over 600 people on campus and what a wonderful day everyone had.

You may be thinking to yourself what is Sneak Peek Saturday, well.... This is an event for prospective students and their families to get more insight on HBU as a possible college choice. The day consists of different information sessions which include Financial Aid, Student Life, Housing and Spiritual Life. Along with the different information sessions, each college hosts an open house which includes information about their speific majors and gives students the opportunity to talk with current professors. As the day wraps up, families can grab lunch at our cafeteria, take a tour with our Husky Ambassadors and even visit the HBU bookstore.

If this event sounds fun to you, then you should check out our upcoming events at http://www.hbu.edu/visit Each event has something different to offer you as a Future Husky!!

Hope you can plan to come visit soon. I will post pictures from our fun weekend sometime this week so be on the lookout!

~Page

Posted by HBU Admin at 5:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)